Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Mark 5:30-34


30 At once Jesus felt power go out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 His followers said, “Look at how many people are pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 But Jesus continued looking around to see who had touched him. 33 The woman, knowing that she was healed, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole truth. 34 Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.” ~ Mark 5:30-34

Today, we return to the presentation of Mark of the Lord Jesus and His earthly ministry. We find ourselves in Galilee and the Lord Jesus is interacting with a crowd of people there, helping the sick and delivering the message of forgiveness from God.

In v.30 of today's passage we read, "At once Jesus felt power go out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, 'Who touched my clothes?'"

There were many there that day in the crowd pressing against the Lord Jesus. And, this woman had been watching the Lord Jesus touch people all day, and whenever He touched them, the people got better. So, naturally, she thought, "If he can touch people and they get better, I bet it'll work in reverse. If I touched him, I'll be better."

So, she set as the point of contact the very edge of His robe. And, when she touched it, her faith in Him activated the possibility into fact. She was healed. And, she and the Lord Jesus felt it, immediately. The Lord Jesus always notices our touch of faith. 

In v.31 of today's passage we read, "His followers said, 'Look at how many people are pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’"

Unaware that this woman had been healed, the disciples were baffled by this question of the Lord Jesus. Since they lacked full understanding of the events of that day, the disciples were clueless. This is what gets us into trouble most of the time: our lack of knowledge and understanding. In fact, throughout the Scriptures we see this played out over and over again. This is why faith in the God of the Bible is so crucial.

Our daily lives are like a puzzle. Many of the pieces that are put into place are done so painstakingly. The fruits of the Spirit are of utter necessity for us to see the unfolding of His daily plan in our lives. One of the fruits of the Spirit that is most important during our times of trial is patience.

According to Proverbs 14:29,"Patient people have great understanding." I have discovered that my impatience stems from my lack of understanding. Patience always hitches a ride with understanding. Patience is a fruit of His Spirit, and, it hangs from the tree of Galatians 5:22. 

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to wait. The key to patience is deep faith in the sovereign control of God in this world. Whether we are waiting for that special person or that dream job, when we take our small mustard seed of faith and wait around for God to place another piece on our puzzle, we will begin to notice the tapestry that will come forth. This has happened in my life so often, and sadly, I have failed at waiting far more than I have succeeded at being patient.

In v.32 of today's passage we read, "But Jesus continued looking around to see who had touched him."

The Lord Jesus looked around to see this woman. He is relentless, and His pursuit of the heart made alive to Him is dogged. For so long, the only reason anyone ever looked for this lady was to avoid her. But, on that day, the Lord Jesus was different from those who lacked understanding.

In v.33 of today's passage we read, "The woman, knowing that she was healed, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole truth."

Like Jairus, this ailing woman fell down before the Lord Jesus, and proceeded to identify herself to Him and to tell Him her story. In Isaiah 10:4 we read, "Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, and they shall fall among the slain." This was her story, up until she met the Lord Jesus. And now, she was bowing before the God of all creation. We can not stand before our foes until we have learned to bow before our God.

Worship is not something we do one hour on Sunday. Worship is a product of the frustration of not knowing what will happen next in our lives, and, waiting on the Lord to act in our lives. When we get to this point, we discover that we are being defined by the Lord, and in essence, we find ourselves worshipping Him because we are being defined by Him.

In v.34 of today's passage we read, "Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are made well because you believed. Go in peace; be healed of your disease."

The Lord Jesus commends this worn out lady's “faith”. In healing her, the Lord Jesus restored her to the community. That day, the Lord Jesus saw not an outcast but a daughter. He saw not her uncleanness but her faith. 
Many people in her world didn’t have the time for her, but the Lord Jesus held off an urgent mission and an important man in order to look for her. This lady chose to believe that His power to heal her was greater than the people's ability to alienate her. 

Like this unnamed woman, we often discover that our sorrow erupts from a deep place inside us. Most of our lives we’ve been excluded by others, but not so with the Lord Jesus. He has always included us in on His work in this world. There have been times when we have ached deeply for acceptance. He is the only One who is aware of such aches and He accepts us just as we are. He loves us too much to allow us to remain as we are, but make no mistake, He loves us just as we are. He calls us sons and daughters. He sees what others do not. He sees in us the quality He values most ... He sees vulnerable faith, and, when He sees it, He is pleased.